


Hold Me Close

by minniemoments



Series: Baekchen Drabbles [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-28 23:30:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16732713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minniemoments/pseuds/minniemoments
Summary: Loosely based off recent broadcasts where sometimes Baekhyun's in a daze and his typical demeanor is missing.





	Hold Me Close

Everything sounds muffled in the conference room.

 

Junmyeon-hyung is talking with their manager about their schedule for the next couple of weeks. Kyungsoo looks like he’s helping. Maybe reviewing their solo schedules to avoid conflicts?

 

Minseok-hyung is talking to Chanyeol about something, hands moving wildly like he’s recounting a story. Jongin and Sehun are crowded around a tablet, probably watching some of their recent stages.

 

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a voice reminds him that this is their last comeback for a while. Everything that happens now is important. It’s their snapshot, memento, keepsake to give to their fans while they serve…

 

“Baek?” Jongdae says softly, lightly touching his shoulder.

 

He shakes off the thought and manages what he thinks is his normal smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

 

“What’s up?” he asks.

“You just… Looked like you were somewhere else,” Jongdae says, tone laced with concern.

“I’m fine, just thinking,” he replies.

 

Jongdae searches his eyes for a moment, eyebrows knitted together.  _ Tell me later? _ he mouths. 

 

Baekhyun gives a small nod, then leans over to get a peak at what the maknaes are watching. 

 

Jongdae lets his hand drop from his shoulder and starts to join Chanyeol and Minseok-hyung’s conversation.

 

***

 

When they get home, Baekhyun is bone-tired. He yawns out a good night to the rest of the group before disappearing to his room. 

 

His mind grinds to a halt when the door closes out the rowdiness of the dorm. The room is silent enough that he can hear the soft howl of the wind outside. 

 

He looks around in a daze. The smile he plastered on before drops to the floor and he’s struggling to figure out whether he should shower now or tomorrow.

 

His body aches from the day and he can’t remember if they did a group stretch at the end of practice today or not.

 

He decides on a shower tonight and pulls off his shirt, but the air is  _ cold _ when it hits him. It jostles him out of his stupor enough for him to grab his towel and bath pouf.

 

Another yawn tears its way through his system and he wants to forget the shower and crawl under the covers.

 

There’s a soft knock at the door and he tenses. _Get it together, Byun._ _Answer the door._

 

“It’s open,” he calls over his shoulder, running a hand through his hair.

 

The door clicks open and then closed.

 

_ Does he look odd standing in the middle of his room? _

 

“Baek, what’s going on?” Jongdae asks.

 

There’s that note of concern again in Jongdae’s voice and it makes Baekhyun nervous about if anyone else has noticed that he’s been off lately.

 

Baekhyun moves to sit on his bed, eyes stuck to the ceiling. He can’t get his expression to look normal right now.

 

The bed groans and dips when Jongdae sits next to him. Jongdae feels  _ warm _ next to him and he wants him closer. Wants to forget about the thoughts that keep pressing into his mind.

 

“I -” he starts, but his voice trails off and he can’t form the words. He doesn’t really understand it himself.

 

They sit there in silence for a moment and it feels better than the silence he was in before. This silence is okay,  _ safe. _

  
  


“C’mon,” Jongdae says, standing up and holding out his hand to help Baekhyun up.

 

Baekhyun bites his lower lip and nods, taking Jongdae’s hand to stand.

 

Jongdae grabs the towel and bath pouf he left on the bed and leads them out of his room.

 

***

 

Jongdae turns on the shower and the pitter-patter of the water is soothing to listen to. He checks the temperature with the back of his wrist.

 

“Hey, Dae?” Baekhyun asks from his perch on the counter.

“Mhmm?”

“Do you ever think about what service will be like?”

 

Jongdae dries his wrist with a towel and hums in thought.

 

“Sometimes.”

 

Baekhyun nods, like that was all he needed to hear. He hops down from the counter and shucks off his pants and underwear.

 

He shivers despite the steam clouding the bathroom mirror. He hurries into the shower, sighing when the water starts to warm his skin.

 

“Good?” Jongdae says from the other side of the shower stall door.

“Mmm,” Baekhyun hums softly.

 

The sound of the doorknob turning makes his breath catch.

 

“Wait,” he says and it feels like his heartbeat is hammering in his ears, “Stay. Please.”

 

He can count the beats it takes before the knob is released and the sound of the lock clicks.

 

Somehow he can hear the sound of clothes rustling and the shower stall creaking open.

  
  


“You’re too tense,” Jongdae whispers, hands smoothing over his shoulders and back.

 

His heartbeat calms down and he feels like he can breathe normally again.

 

Jongdae reaches past him to grab the shampoo and the cap clicks open. Hands start to work up a lather in his scalp, massaging and soothing.

 

“That feels nice,” he murmurs, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch.

“Mhmm,” Jongdae hums in reply.

“There’s so much pressure on this one, you know? This comeback,” he says, not really knowing how much he’ll say before he loses his voice again, “Two years is such a long time. Three, probably.”

 

Jongdae drops scoops of water onto his head to rinse the shampoo, then reaches for the conditioner.

 

“That’s if we’re even…” he trails off. Voicing that thought hurts too much, so he grabs his bath pouf and the soap instead.

“I know what you mean,” Jongdae replies, taking his time to work the conditioner in.

“Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t want to disappoint anyone. I’m supposed to be the mood-maker, but sometimes… Sometimes I just get trapped in my head.”

 

Jongdae rinses his scalp again, humming a tune that doesn’t quite exist yet.

 

***

 

Jongdae’s gathering up their things and Baekhyun can’t help how much he’s shivering, even in his robe.  _ That’s it, now he’s supposed to go to sleep… Back in his room… Alone. _

 

Jongdae hands him something and he holds on to it while Jongdae grabs an extra towel to dry his hair. He says something to Baekhyun and he thinks he nods, then Jongdae takes whatever he had been holding and he’s gone.

 

_ What’s he supposed to do again? _

 

He sits on the counter and toys with the belt of his robe. It’s soft.

 

At some point he registers that maybe he’s supposed to get up and leave the bathroom, but then Jongdae is back and he’s tugging on his hand.

 

They walk past his room and go to Jongdae’s instead and there’s a few candles lit that make it smell like fall, but it’s none of those fake cinnamon or nutmeg smells. It smells like being under a blanket when the air outside is crisp and there’s a fire to warm your toes.

 

A pair of his pajama bottoms are on Jongdae’s dresser, so he goes over to put them on and to put the robe in their place.

  
  


_ I’m staying here tonight?  _ he mouths to Jongdae, pointing at the bed. His voice gone for the rest of the night.

 

Jongdae nods and peels back the covers, motioning for him to get in.

 

He climbs under the covers and Jongdae turns off the light. When he joins him, Baekhyun pulls him close.

  
_ Warm _ , Baekhyun mouths against the nape of his neck.


End file.
